Latest / Reformed Thinking / Put Off, Be Renewed, Put On: Paul’s Theology of Sanctification (Ephesians 4:22–24)

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Put Off, Be Renewed, Put On: Paul’s Theology of Sanctification (Ephesians 4:22–24) · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to the Deep Dive where we take your source material and
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distill the key insights, cutting through the noise to get
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to what matters. Today we are focusing on the
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very logic of Christian change, drawing from a classic passage
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that really serves as a kind of spiritual instruction manual.
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Ephesians 4, verses 22 through 24.
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That's right. And our sources have
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meticulously laid out Paul's, you know, his famous threefold
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sequence, a specific rhythm for the ongoing life of the
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believer. And this isn't just abstract
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moral teaching. It's not a simple list of do's
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and don'ts. Yeah, it outlines a well, a
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comprehensive theological mechanism for living out the new
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existence we're granted in Christ.
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We're going to be dissecting this precise rhythm, putting off
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the old man. Being renewed in the spirit of
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the mind. And putting on the Newman.
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Our mission today is to get beyond just a surface level
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reading of these verses. We need to see precisely how
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these commands, what theologians call the imperative, are
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securely grounded in what God has already done in Christ, the
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indicative. We want to show how this
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rigorous biblical pattern offers a necessary and I think a
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powerful antidote to the kind of vague, self generated moral
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efforts you see in secular self help culture.
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OK, so let's unpack this. What is the central message this
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deep dive will deliver for you, the listener?
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The central message is that Christian change isn't defined
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by human willpower trying to manufacture a new persona,
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right? It's about submitting to a
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spiritual rhythm, a continuous, divinely powered cycle of
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rejection, internal reorientation, and then
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conscious appropriation. It's all about expressing the
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new identity God has already created and perfected in Christ.
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OK, so let's jump straight into the big picture.
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Our sources highlight immediately that this passage in
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Ephesians, specifically 4.2224, acts as a kind of crucial hinge
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in the architecture of Paul's entire letter.
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This is the turning point. It absolutely is the fulcrum.
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When you analyze the structure of Ephesians, the first 3
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chapters are given almost entirely over to the indicative.
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They describe God's finished objective saving work.
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What's often called our status in Christ.
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Our status in Christ, Yes, you see the Father choosing us
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before the foundation of the world, the Son redeeming us
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through his blood, and the Spirit sealing us.
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This whole section just establishes the reality of being
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transferred from death to life. So if the indicative is the
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objective declaration what God does for the believer, it
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establishes this fixed, unshakable reality of the new
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life. Precisely.
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And it's only after establishing that unshakable reality that
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Chapters 4 through 6 turned decisively to the imperative.
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And the commands. To the commands, the
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instructions for how believers must now live daily.
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The ethical exhortations Paul begins to issue are therefore
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not detached moral rules, and they're certainly not an attempt
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to earn the status he just described.
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Which is a common mistake. A huge mistake.
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They are the necessary, the logical, and the, you know, the
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inevitable outworking of the new reality that God established in
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Christ. This relationship is so vital
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for avoiding a works righteousness mindset.
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I mean, if we miss this connection, we might read the
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commands as a set of rules we have to follow to become right
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with God. Instead of what they are.
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Which are instructions on how to live out the reality that God
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has already made us right. That is the essential insight,
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the command that kicks off this whole ethical section in 4.1 to
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walk worthy. It presupposes that the heaviest
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and most critical work, breaking sins, spiritual dominion, is
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already done. It's a finished.
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Work. It's a finished work.
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Paul is operating on the principle that we are commanded
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to walk in a manner worthy of the calling we have already
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received. So the logic flows, since you
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are this new creation in Christ, now live like it.
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And that ordering, that sequence, it prevents the whole
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Christian walk from collapsing into moralism or some kind of
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merit system. It does.
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It defines our obedience as the consequence of salvation.
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Never ever but. That raises a question.
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If our union with Christ is complete, if we've been raised
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and seated with him, why do we even need such intense specific
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commands like strip off the old self?
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Why isn't the new behavior just automatic?
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I mean, doesn't the very existence of these commands
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imply God's work was in some sense incomplete?
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And that's the friction point that makes Paul's teaching so
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realistic. The work of justification is
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complete, and it is perfect. Our definitive sanctification
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that legal break from the dominion of sin is also
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complete. So our status is perfect.
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Our status is perfect, but Paul recognizes the distinction
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between our status and our state, which is currently
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imperfect. The old self has been crucified,
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but it's corrupting impulses. Well, they remain, and they wage
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war against the new Spirit. So the commands aren't evidence
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of God's incomplete work. They are the means by which the
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Holy Spirit carries out the victory that Christ has already
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won. Our action is cooperative, not
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causative. We are commanded to implement
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the reality of our new status day by day.
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So to set the stage for this rhythm, Paul first forbids the
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old way of life, what he calls the Gentile walk in verse 17.
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What's the specific negative condition he's defining that the
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believer needs to run from? Paul defines that life, the life
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lived apart from the gospel, by a three-part cognitive failure.
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It's a life characterized by the futility of their minds,
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darkened understanding, and critically hardened hearts.
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That's a powerful triad. It is.
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It reveals A profound moral and cognitive disorientation.
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The futility speaks to the inherent meaninglessness of a
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life trying to find purpose outside of its Creator.
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The darkened understanding describes a spiritual blindness.
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And the hardened heart, well, that speaks of the callousness
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that prevents any true repentance.
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And what are the results of this mental futility in spiritual
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darkness? Where does it lead?
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The result is explicitly unrestrained sensuality and
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impurity. Paul shows that the external
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behavior is just the necessary expression of the internal
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mental bankruptcy. So the root is in the mind
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always. When the mind is dark and
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futile, it fails to perceive true value, true reality, and
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that leads to a desperate grasping for immediate sensual
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satisfaction. The old life is 1 lived in deep
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alienation from God, driven by ignorance, and it just
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inevitably shows itself in self-destructive behavior.
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Which is why the solution has to begin with the mind.
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It has to. And the stark contrast Paul
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draws is that believers have learned Christ.
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Now that phrase is doing a massive amount of theological
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work. It's so much more than learned
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about Christ. It's an unusual phrasing, isn't
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it? And the sources stress that
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learned Christ signifies being brought into a well, a living,
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relational experience with Christ as the ultimate teacher
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and Lord. So truth isn't just a list of
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facts. No truth for Paul is a person.
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It is embodied and located in him.
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When believers were converted, they entered the school of
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Christ, where the entire way of thinking, desiring and valuing
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began to be fundamentally reshaped by union with Him.
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It sounds like baptism into the Christian life is also an
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enrollment in a lifelong education.
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Precisely, and here's a key detail.
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Our sources underline the rhythm we're about to unpack putting
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off, being renewed, and putting on.
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This isn't some advanced elective course for spiritual
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super achievers. It's described as the core
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content of the basic Christian instruction Paul delivered.
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This is Christianity one O 1. To be taught Christ means being
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taught this threefold framework for change.
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It's the fundamental structure for the practical outworking of
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1's union with him. Now, before we jump into the
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individual commands, we have to briefly ground this personal
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application in the corporate reality Paul all established
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earlier in the letter. That corporate context is
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absolutely critical. Ephesians 2 already established
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that Christ created the one new man from formerly hostile
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parties, Jew and Gentile. The new humanity.
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The new humanity, yes, replacing the old divided fallen humanity
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and Adam. So when Paul speaks of the old
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man contrast here in Chapter 4, our sources confirm that while
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he is applying it to the individual ethical life, that
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individual reality is still rooted in this broader corporate
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new humanity. So our personal change isn't for
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private fulfillment. Not at all.
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It's essential to the health and witness of the entire body of
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Christ. The new man we put on is the
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collective character of the church displayed in individual
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lives. OK, let's move to that first
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action command in this three-part rhythm.
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Put off the old self in verse 22.
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The language here is so physical, so visual, it demands
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A decisive action. It's defined by the Greek verb
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apothesti, which a middle infinitive.
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It evokes this imagery of stripping off a soiled or heavy
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garment, and it's not a suggestion, it's a command for
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decisive, intentional action. And the sources are great at
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stressing the nature of this verb.
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This isn't something that just happens to you passively.
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You don't accidentally take off a coat.
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That's a great way to put it. This implies that the believer
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has to engage his or her will. The action is decisive and
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conscious. It requires A deliberate intent
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to remove the old life and its habits.
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We have to be clear on what is being removed.
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The old man is not just a few surface level bad habits we need
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to work on. It represents the entire mode of
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existence associated with Adam. The whole identity lived apart
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from Christ. This identity is characterized
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by alienation, ignorance, and hostility toward God.
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Is the totality of the life lived under sins dominion before
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conversion? So if I'm a believer, I'm not
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just trying to renovate my old Adam nature, I'm commanded to
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shed the identity itself. It's a complete renunciation.
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The analogy of shedding A rival army's uniform is really
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powerful here. It's the only analogy that works
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really. You have to shed the uniform of
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the enemy army because you've transferred allegiance and you
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can't just hide that uniform under the new one.
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The very nature of the old man is why this action has to be so
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decisive. It is in a state of corruption.
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Paul gives the reason for the stripping.
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The old self must be put off because it is being corrupted
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according to deceitful desires. The sources highlight that the
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verb being corrupted is a present participle, which
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describes an active and ongoing decay.
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This is a vital semantic detail. The Greek term suggests active
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decomposition, like a garment that isn't just dirty but is
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literally rotting from within because of exposure to toxic
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elements. That's not static.
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Not at all. This corruption spreads and
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intensifies if you don't address it, and the root cause of this
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relentless rot is defined as deceitful desires.
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Let's stay on that phrase for a moment.
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Deceitful desires. How exactly do these desires
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deceive us? Well, they deceive us by lying
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about two fundamental things. First, they lie about
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satisfaction. They promised deep, lasting
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fulfillment, but they only deliver, you know, momentary
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relief followed by spiritual emptiness and an even deeper
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craving. And the second lie.
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The second is that they lie about identity.
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They convince us that indulging them is the path to
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authenticity, that being true to yourself means giving these
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internal corrupted impulses free reign.
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But as Paul says, they only lead to further ruin, which confirms
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that the old man operates entirely on illusions.
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That reframes the struggle against sin.
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It's less about just weakness and more about truth perception.
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Sinful desires aren't just enjoyable temptations.
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They're active, deliberate lies aimed at our inner orientation.
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Precisely. And that realization demands a
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categorical break. The old man is not flawed and
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fixable, the sources state. Clearly it is fundamentally
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corrupt and doomed. It can't be repaired or patched
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up. Like trying to a patch on a
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rotting coat. You'd just be sewing into decay.
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It must be discarded entirely, like cutting off a gangrenous
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limb to save the body. This is why the command is so
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absolute. Practically, then, this means we
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have to engage in a continual conscious repudiation of the
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lingering manifestations of the old life.
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Absolutely. While our status is new, the
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implementation is a daily thing. Paul doesn't leave this as some
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abstract principle. In the verses that immediately
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follow this rhythm, he gives concrete examples of the old
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man's habits that have to be specifically rejected.
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Like putting off falsehood by speaking the truth.
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Right. And putting off sinful anger
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before sunset, putting off stealing by working to give,
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putting off corrupt speech by using edifying words, and
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putting off bitterness, malice, slander.
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The stripping action is applied to these concrete ethical
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decisions every single day. So if I find myself consumed by
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envy or slander, I need to recognize that impulse not as a
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minor character flaw, but as the active decay of the old doomed
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self trying to reassert its control.
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And I have to decisively strip it away.
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That's the proper theological response.
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You identify the impulse as belonging to the enemy uniform,
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and you refuse to wear it even for a moment.
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This deliberate recognition is the first step in repentance,
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naming the sin for what it is, a remnant of a life already
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condemned and defeated in Christ.
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This continuous work of putting off ensures that our conduct
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aligns with our already achieved status.
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And this brings us to the second movement, which really acts as
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the hinge of the entire process. Be renewed in the spirit of your
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minds in verse 23. This movement is where the core
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change is generated and Paul locates the engine of it, not in
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the hands or feet, but right in the mind.
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He locates it in the inner orientation that governs
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thinking, perceiving, and valuing.
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This is so critical. The mind here isn't just the
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seat of logical thought, it is the deep seated disposition of
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the inner person. It's the spiritual bent, the
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default setting that determines how we interpret reality.
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How we see everything. How we see everything, what we
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believe about ourselves and God, and what we ultimately love and
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pursue. So if the old man was
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characterized by the futility of mind, this renewal has to
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address that cognitive damage directly.
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Exactly. The ERS has rovided an excellent
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analogy here. This renewal is the change of
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the operating system of the person.
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You can put new as new external behaviors onto a corrupted O,
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but eventually the system's going to crash.
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The deep seated inner orientation has to be
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progressively reoriented to the truth that is in Jesus.
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If you just try to force new behaviors without changing the
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OS, you end up with external moralism, but the internal
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corruption is still there. It persists, yes.
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And here's where the theological depth really kicks in.
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Tying back to God's divine initiative, the command be
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renewed. Ananiasti is in the passive
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voice. That grammatical structure is a
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massive signal flare. It's absolutely critical.
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The passive voice indicates that the believer is the recipient,
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the one being acted upon in this process.
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This structure immediately shunts aside any notion that the
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transformation of the mind is some of the believer generates
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purely through discipline or willpower.
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So the agent of this renovation is external to the believers
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personal effort. Yes.
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The theological implication is that this renovation of the mind
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is fundamentally spirit wrought. God, specifically the Holy
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Spirit, is the primary agent who performs this intensive work of
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internal renovation. The believers responsibility is
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defined by active dependence and submission, not self creation.
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We cooperate. We cooperate.
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The change is wrought in us by the Spirit.
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We are not the source of the power, but we must consciously
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submit to the power that is at work.
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That raises A challenging question for the disciplined
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believer though. If the renewal is passive, if
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God is doing the work, what is the nature of our cooperation?
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How do we submit to this renovation without turning it
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back into just another self help project?
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And that tension is where wisdom is required.
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The command is active on our part because it requires
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continuous submission. We have to actively put
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ourselves in the path of the spirits renovating work.
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What does that look like? It means actively rejecting the
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inputs that feed the old mind the things we see, read and
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listen to, and actively receiving the inputs that
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facilitate renewal. The Spirit is the power source,
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but we're responsible for plugging in the cable.
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Our job is to create the receptive environment by
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refusing the old and seeking the new truth.
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The present tense of the verb is also key, indicating this is a
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continuous lifelong process. Indeed, it counters any
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expectation of, you know, instant, total mental
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perfection. We don't get a perfectly renewed
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mind, a conversion. We are entered into a process of
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being continuously brought into conformity with the mind of
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Christ because the old man's impulses persist.
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The mind is always under pressure from deceit, meaning
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continuous renovation is necessary until glorification.
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And crucially, the Spirit doesn't work in a vacuum or
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bypass the intellect. He uses an instrument.
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The primary instrument the Spirit employs is the Word of
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God. This links the theological
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reality right back to practical spiritual discipline.
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The Spirit works through the mind by reshaping it according
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to scriptural truth. This is why true spiritual
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growth is inseparable from doctrinal clarity and rigorous
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biblical thinking. In a culture that often elevates
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personal experience and emotional authenticity over
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objective truth, this insight is so crucial.
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It asserts that to change your heart, you must first change
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your thinking through the word. Absolutely.
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A mind that is truly saturated with biblical truth is the only
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defense against the lies embedded in those deceitful
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desires. If you don't have the truth of
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Christ readily accessible in your inner orientation, the old
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OS will default to corrupted thinking whenever pressure hits.
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Which is why our sources point to things like faithful
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expository preaching, catechesis, meditation on
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scripture deep. Theological Study.
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As the ordinary means the Spirit uses to accomplish this
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structural renovation. Yes, and that makes the analogy
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of the sculptor and the chisel exceptionally appropriate.
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Explain that. The analogy clarifies the roles
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perfectly. The Holy Spirit is the sculptor,
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providing the skill, the power, and the intention for the
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finished work. The chisel is the sharp,
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specific truth of the Word of God.
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The sculptor uses the chisel to precisely chip away the
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distorted features of the old character and carve the
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detailed, specific righteous features of the new man into the
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believer. And our part?
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We cooperate by holding still and submitting to the painful
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but necessary work of the chisel.
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So when a believer struggles with deep seated negative
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thought patterns, maybe patterns of despair, anxiety or pride,
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the solution isn't just try harder, No, it's to expose those
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thoughts, the light of specific biblical doctrine, and allow the
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Spirit to use that truth to overwrite the corrupted mental
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code. That is the prescription.
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For example, if you struggle with the pride of
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self-sufficiency, the answer is not a self help seminar on
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humility. The answer is saturating the
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mind with the truth of total dependence on Christ for
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justification and the truth of the spirits essential work and
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sanctification. That doctrine becomes the
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spiritual nutrient that gradually starves the prideful
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lie. OK, so if the first movement was
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the decisive negative stripping off the old identity, and the
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second was the internal ongoing work, the spirit wrought renewal
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of the mind, then the third movement put on the new self.
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Beast 24 is the active positive public manifestation of the new
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identity. Yes, the verb used here and
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disasti continues the clothing metaphor, but it switches the
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focus from removal to application.
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This is the act of appropriation of the new identity.
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It requires the believer to consciously, deliberately and
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publicly appropriate and express in conduct the new reality that
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God has already established in their union with Christ.
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And the source is really stressed that this new man is
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not something the believer constructs piece by piece, but
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something that is created according to God.
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The Greek word used, kathenta, is crucial because it recalls
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the Genesis creation language. This point is absolutely
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essential for theological accuracy.
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By using this creation terminology, Paul underscores
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that this new identity is a divine product.
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It is a work of new creation belonging to the new age
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established by Christ's resurrection.
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This means the believer is not trying to invent a new self out
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of the remnants of the old life. But rather receiving what God
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has already finished. Exactly.
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That provides immense relief, doesn't it?
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We're not called to manufacture a persona, but to live
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consistently with the divine reality that's already
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accomplished for us. The effort involved in putting
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on is not creation, it's expression.
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Precisely. This new identity is
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qualitatively new. It has a divine origin and this
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new man is the restoration of the moral likeness of God that
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Adam forfeited. Redemption is inherently A
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recreative act designed to re establish the imago dei, the
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image of God in us. Our sources clearly define the
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specific content of this restored image, establishing the
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goal of the whole process, true righteousness and holiness.
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These are the twin pillars of the new character and the goal
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of sanctification. We need to distinguish them
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clearly. Righteousness denotes conformity
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to God's moral character living in alignment with His perfect
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standards, particularly in relationship to others.
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Justice, honesty, integrity. Yes, and holiness, on the other
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hand, denotes separation unto him, consecration to God's
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purposes implying purity, and being set apart from the profane
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world for God's use. Both are necessary expressions
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of the new identity. So righteousness is living
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correctly, and holiness is living consecratedly. 1 is
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relational purity, the other is dedication to God.
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That's a good way to summarize the practical distinction.
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And when we cross reference this passage with the parallel
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instruction Colossians 3.10, we get the complete triad of
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restoration that constitutes the new image of God.
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Colossians adds the element of knowledge.
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Yes, Colossians 3 point and then speaks of the new self being
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renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.
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Therefore, the full picture of the restored Imago Dei includes
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knowledge, righteousness, and holiness.
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And that triad beautifully encapsulates the
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interconnectedness of Paul's rhythm, the renewal of the mind.
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The knowledge part is what drives the decision to put off
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the old corruption and put on the new behavior the
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righteousness and holiness. It's a fully integrated system.
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The mind feeds the morality. You cannot act righteously or
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live consecratedly unless your mind is being continuously
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reoriented by truth. Let's use the analogy the coin
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here as it ties these concepts together so effectively.
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It's a great one. If the new man is a coin minted
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by the king, the righteousness is the weight and purity of the
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metal itself. It meets the standard.
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It's not counterfeit. The holiness is the image
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stamped upon it. It bears the King's face,
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separating it as his exclusive property.
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So putting on the new man means deliberately displaying this
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pure stamped image in every aspect of our lives.
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In our relationships, our speech, our work, our
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consumption, this is the active expression of our status as
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citizens of the new creation. This sounds incredibly
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demanding. I mean, if we are commanded to
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put on true righteousness and holiness, it suggests the
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standard that is impossible to maintain perfectly in this life.
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It absolutely sets an impossible standard for our fallen nature,
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which is why the renovation must be spirit wrought and why Paul
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adds these doctrinal safeguards which we really need to discuss
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now. The Christian life is defined by
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high commands, but these commands are only possible
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through divine enablement. Our inability to achieve
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perfection is precisely why that second movement be renewed is in
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the passive voice. OK, so this entire threefold
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rhythm put off be renewed, put on.
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It's structured so precisely that it functions as a
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comprehensive theological guardrail, protecting the
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believer from falling into the most common errors regarding the
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Christian life. That is the true genius of
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Paul's instruction. It stands as a kind of
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theological fortress, guarding against three classic pitfalls
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that plague any discussion of personal piety and moral effort.
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First, it guards decisively against moralism.
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It does so because the new man is explicitly created by God.
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Moralism is the error that assumes holiness is a human
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construction, a self achievement built up through willpower or
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external conformity to rules, often to gain God's favor.
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But Paul insists holiness is a divine work.
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A finished reality grounded in union with Christ, our effort in
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putting on the new man and the consequence of salvation.
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Not the 'cause we are commanded to walk worthy, not to walk to
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become worthy. This distinction liberates the
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believer from the tyranny of performance.
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And the implication is that if we define our identity by our
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performance, we're actually reverting to the old man's
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corrupted desire for self justification.
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Exactly. The old man loves to build up
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credit through external works, but the new man simply expresses
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the credit that has already been deposited by Christ.
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We are not building the house, we are just living in the one
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the King already constructed for.
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US. Second, the framework guards
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against antinomianism, the error of lawlessness.
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And this is protected because the new man is explicitly
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defined by a high moral standard, true righteousness and
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holiness. Antinomianism often
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misrepresents grace as a passive license to disregard God's moral
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law. The belief that since salvation
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is free, behavior doesn't matter.
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Paul rejects this completely. Grace is a powerful recreative
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force that restores God's image, acclaimed union with Christ that
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leaves a person morally indistinguishable from the old
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humanity, you know, characterized by corruption and
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deceitful desires. It fundamentally contradicts the
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reality of the new creation. If you put on the new identity,
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you must necessarily display its inherent character.
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The third error the rhythm safeguards against is
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perfectionism. And the continuous present tense
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of the command be renewed is the critical safeguard here.
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Perfectionism is the belief that post conversion, the believer
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should achieve sinlessness and that the struggle should just
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abruptly end. The Paul's structure
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acknowledges that sanctification is an incomplete, lifelong
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process in this age. The old man's impulses persist,
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and they have to be actively stripped away.
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The struggle remains, and that guarantees that the believer
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must remain actively dependent on the spirit and the Word.
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This brings essential assurance and realism to the believer who
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feels that ongoing internal conflict.
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Now let's take this robust, guarded framework and contrast
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it sharply with the contemporary secular approach to identity and
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self improvement. The Pauline model offers a
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radical counter narrative to modern selfhood.
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It could be a sharper contrast. Let's look at 4 points of
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divergent, starting with identity origin.
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OK, so the modern view is that identity is fluid, it's self
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constructed or curated. A continuous identity rebranding
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based on personal preferences, feelings or self discovery.
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Paul critiques this by stating identity is received.
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It's defined by a decisive, instantaneous transfer of
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allegiance and status from Adam to Christ.
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The new man is a divine creation, a given reality, not a
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human invention or a continuous construction project.
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The Christian is freed from that exhaustive burden of self
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creation. The second clash is over the
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inner self. Modern self help often operates
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on the premise that the core self is fundamentally good.
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We're told to be true to yourself, validating internal
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desires as authentic guides to happiness.
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Paul takes a truly radical counter position.
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He insists the old self is corrupted by deceitful desires
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that promise satisfaction but lead only to ruin.
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Repudiation, not expression or validation, is required.
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So the Christian can't simply celebrate internal impulses as
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authentic, no. They have to test those impulses
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against the standard of righteousness and holiness and
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decisively reject those that belong to the decaying old man.
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This directly challenges the current therapeutic culture that
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often defines authenticity as uncritical self-expression.
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Precisely. Paul insists that our authentic
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self is the new man created in Christ, not the fallen self
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corrupted by Adam. Therefore, true spiritual growth
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requires self denial and the rejection of the false self, not
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its celebration. The third critique is aimed at
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the mechanism of change. Secular views prioritize
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willpower, emotional techniques, or, you know, quick fix slogans.
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Paul's view insist that change is rooted primarily in mind
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renewal, specifically doctrinal clarity and biblical truth.
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It is spirit rod working through the Word of God to reshape our
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perceptions and values. This is an intellectual and
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spiritual process, not an emotional or merely volitional
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one. This framework challenges any
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anti intellectual approach to spirituality.
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Any approach that tries to elevate feeling or experience
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above the objective written truth of the scriptures.
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Exactly. And finally, the context of
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change. Modern spirituality tends to
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privatize the struggle, viewing spiritual growth as an isolated
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individual walk with God. The Pauline framework counters
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this individualism by tying personal change explicitly to
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the corporate reality of the one new man.
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The ethics discussed in Ephesians 4 are meant to be
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lived out in the body of Christ in community.
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Where believers are equipped by teachers, held accountable and
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built up in love, growth and holiness is inseparable from a
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committed, active life within the Church.
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The individual putting on the new man is contributing to the
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collective display of Christ body.
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All of this complex dynamic brings us back to the inherent
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lifelong tension of the Christian life, the already and
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the not yet. This rhythm is the practical
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outworking of that tension. That tension is exactly what the
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rhythm describes. The already is our definitive
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status. The old man has been crucified
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and the new man has been created by God.
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Our legal standing and identity are perfect in Christ.
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The not yet is our present experience.
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The corrupting impulses remain, requiring continuous active
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stripping away, and the renewal of the mind is a progressive,
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continuous process. So the relationship is perfectly
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captured by the adoption analogy.
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We are legally adopted into a royal family.
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That's the definitive status, complete and perfect.
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And then we must spend our lives putting off the rags and habits
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of the former St. life to live consistently with the new
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identity. That's the progressive work.
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The change in clothing and behavior follows and expresses
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the change in status. And that ongoing process, that
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rhythm of rejection, reorientation, and
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appropriation, is exactly what Paul is teaching us in Ephesians
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4.2224. It's the spiritual logic for how
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we live between the decisive victory of Christ and his
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return. So what does this all mean for
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you, our listener? The dynamic of Christian living
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is a specific, demanding spiritual rhythm of rejection,
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reorientation, and appropriation.
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It's fundamentally dependent on God's work, but it requires our
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active submission and cooperation.
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We've established that the core of the struggle against sin is
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intellectual and spiritual. It requires constant vigilance
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in discerning the lives of deceitful desires and submitting
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our inner orientation, our deepest thinking, perceiving and
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valuing to the truth that is in Jesus.
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The Word of God, employed by the Holy Spirit is the instrument
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that achieves this necessary internal alignment.
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This deep dive reveals that we are not called to manufacture a
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new persona or curate a new image.
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We are called to live out a divine reality that is already
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created for us, defined by true righteousness and holiness.
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So since the goal of sanctification is the
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restoration of knowledge, righteousness and holiness, the
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very image of God, what specific area of your current thinking,
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perceiving and valuing most reflects the futility or
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deceitful desires of the old age?
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And what specific truth of Christ must you actively apply
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and meditate upon to override it this week?
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Thank you for joining us for this deep dive into the logic of
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Christian transformation. We hope this knowledge serves
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you well as you walk, worthy of the calling you have received.